The management of vegetal resources in Bronze Age Nubia

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the vegetal
resources of Bronze Age Nubia. After providing
a brief introduction to, and historiography of,
archaeobotanical research in Nubia, we first describe
the ecological context in which plants in Nubia grow,
and show how the complex interplay water availability,
seasonality, geology, and technology co-determine the
vegetation and the potential and nature of agriculture.
We then reflect on the management of the vegetal
resources and distinguish between taxa that naturally
occur in the environment and those that are cultivated
as crops on the fields, which were mostly introduced
to Nubia from other regions. We then continue to
discuss different practical categories of plants and
their uses (e.g., cereals, pulses, fruit trees) and reflect
on their attestation and potential use in Nubia. While
there are currently few archaeobotanical studies for
the study area and period, the results thus far attest
a diverse crop curriculum, a wide range of managed
wild plant resources, and the use of crop processing
waste as by-products that were upcycled into products
for other non-food sectors. These practices both reflect
resilience strategies and a sophisticated circular
economic system in Bronze Age Nubia.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationLandscape and resource management in Bronze Age Nubia
Subtitle of host publicationArchaeological perspectives on the exploitation of natural resources and the circulation of commodities in the Middle Nile
Place of PublicationWiesbaden
PublisherHarrassowitz Verlag
Chapter7
Pages143-158
Number of pages16
ISBN (Print)978-3-447-12137-8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 27 Mar 2024

Publication series

NameContributions to the Archaeology of Egypt, Nubia and the Levant
PublisherHarrassowitz Verlag
Volume17

Keywords

  • Plant life
  • crops
  • wild plants
  • vegetal resource management
  • archaeobotany
  • Nubia

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